With the 2030 deadline for the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) looming and global challenges intensifying, the need for action in higher education has become urgent. Global experts will explore ways of embedding sustainability skills and awareness in teaching and learning, and across universities, in a free webinar on Thursday 26 June.
The international experts will debate how individual academics, staff and universities can become agents for sustainable change in the webinar titled “Time to Act: Embedding sustainability in higher education”, co-hosted by [i]University World News[/i] and ABET, the global quality assurance and accreditation agency.
The panelists are Professor Fernando Reimers of Harvard University, an expert in education policy, global education and education for sustainability; Dr Debra Rowe, president of the US Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development; Dr Ratna Lindawati Lubis, a professor at Telkom University in Indonesia and entrepreneurship education expert; and Dr Michael KJ Milligan, CEO of ABET, which has embedded sustainability criteria in its higher education accreditation standards.
Moderated by Brendan O’Malley, editor-in-chief of University World News, the experts will field a range of questions. For instance:
How might faculty embed sustainability knowledge and skills into existing curricula and courses, equipping students with awareness of sustainability issues and preparing them with the skills to become sustainability drivers in the future workforce? And how might university leaders and staff advance an institution-wide focus on sustainability through policies, strategies, training and support? What are the good practice examples?
The webinar will discuss how universities – under increasing pressure to align with global sustainability targets – can act now to embed sustainability as a core institutional value rather than an add-on, and support faculty in their sustainability efforts. The discussion will include insights into balancing global frameworks like the SDGs with local relevance, ensuring that sustainability teaching and learning is meaningful and context-specific.
As with all University World News-ABET webinars, the aim will be to combine high-level debate with practical guidance. Participants will come away with real-world examples, ideas, and approaches that academics can apply directly to their own teaching and curriculum design – whether they’re new to sustainability or already engaging with it in their work.
The webinar will be held on Thursday 26 June at: 8.00am LA, 11am NYC, 4pm London, 5pm Cape Town and 8.30pm Delhi.
*This post is from the U.S. Partnership for Education for Sustainable Development*